Man dead, woman critically injured in midair collision above flight park
Oct 17, 2023, 10:29 PM | Updated: Oct 18, 2023, 5:36 am
DRAPER — Police said a man was dead and a woman was critically injured following a mid-air collision above the Salt Lake County Flight Park.
Lt. Mike Elkins said crews responded after 5:00 p.m. on a report of the mishap.
“There had been an unfortunate mid-air collision involving a paraglider carrying two individuals and a hang glider,” Elkins told KSL TV.
According to Elkins, officers found the man and woman from the paraglider badly injured at the scene.
“He was in very poor shape,” Elkins said of the man. “By the time LifeFlight landed, he had succumbed to his injuries.”
Elkins said the woman was transported to Intermountain Medical Center with critical injuries.
The male pilot of the hang glider was released at the scene, Elkins said.
“I know these individuals are very passionate about what they do,” Elkins said. “They have a system down, so this is very unfortunate.”
Police identified the deceased paraglider as 44-year-old Joshua Ellison.
“My heart goes out to them,” Elkins said. “I can’t imagine the difficulty that the family is feeling as well as the hang gliding community here to have someone have that happen to them doing what they love.”